Election 2012: Live Updates & Results

More than a year of stump speeches, fundraisers, presidential
serenades and policy debates culminate today. All the persuading,
nominating, campaign rallies, door knocking and baby kissing end with
Americans heading to polls to choose their president, who will represent
them on Capitol Hill, and countless other local candidates.

“I join my fellow Americans in thanking God we live in an exceptional
democratic country where our leaders are elected peacefully at the
ballot box. And I congratulate President Obama on his victory.

“It has been a privilege campaigning for Mitt Romney, getting to know
him and traveling throughout the country on his behalf. When future
generations look back on this election, I am proud they will count me
among those who chose a path of limited government and free enterprise
at a critical crossroads in our history. I am proud to have cast my vote
for Mitt Romney.

“Now comes the hard part. America faces monumental challenges in
putting people back to work, reducing our crushing debt and advancing
our interests around the world.

“In the next Congress, I am committed to working on upward mobility
policies that will ensure people who work hard and play by the rules can
rise above the circumstances of their birth and leave their children
better off. The conservative movement should have particular appeal to
people in minority and immigrant communities who are trying to make it,
and Republicans need to work harder than ever to communicate our beliefs
to them. I look forward to working on these goals with my new and
returning colleagues in Congress and hope the President will get behind
our efforts.”

1:41 a.m. – Shout Out to Long Lines

In his acceptance speech, President Obama referenced the long lines that plagued voters this Election Day.

The president thanked voters for waiting in them, then said we’ve got to do something about that.

Angus King – still not confirmed who he, as an Independent, will caucus with. But most believe he will caucus with the democrats.

Deb Fischer – first time since the 1970′s that Nebraska will see an all-Republican Senate delegation

LOSERS

Linda McMahon
– World Wrestling Entertainment’s former CEO has lost her second bid
for Senate in which she invested more than $77 million of her own money
over the two races. She would have become Connecticut’s first female
Senator, not that did not happen.

Speaker of the House John Boehner, R-Ohio, released the following statement:

“The American people re-elected the president, and re-elected our
majority in the House. If there is a mandate, it is a mandate for both
parties to find common ground and take steps together to help our
economy grow and create jobs, which is critical to solving our debt. I
offer sincere congratulations to President and Mrs. Obama and to Vice
President and Dr. Biden. I wish Mitt, Ann, Paul, Janna and their
families well, and thank them for having carried the banner of our party
and our principles with strength, grace, and courage.”

1 a.m. – Top Dem (and Mom) Bodysurf After Obama win

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DNC vice-chairman, Minneapolis Mayor and top Obama campaign surrogate
R.T. Ryback and his mom, Lorraine, did some body surfing at a
Minneapolis rally tonight after Obama was projected to win

Nightline’s Bill Weir reports Romney is expected to speak in five minutes.

Two minutes later reports it will actually be closer to 12:55 a.m.

12:28 a.m. – Colorado, Washington Projected Pro Marijuana

ABC News projects Washington and Colorado both voted to legalize marijuana use this Election Day. Oregon did not.

Earlier this week ABC’s Chris Good looked into what legalization might mean.

“Washington’s Republican and Democratic candidates for attorney
general have pledged to defend it in federal court if it passes and is
challenged, although both oppose the measure. Both men think a federal
challenge is likely,” Chris wrote.

“‘If it does pass, and it looks like it may pass in this state, we
will be exactly contrary to federal criminal law,’ said Reagan Dunn, the
Republican candidate, at their September debate. Dunn was referring to
the Controlled Substances Act, enacted under President Nixon in 1970.
‘Depending on who is the U.S. attorney, depending on who is the attorney
general of the United States, we are very likely as a state to be sued
and challenged in federal court on this issue.’ Dunn then touted his
experience trying cases in federal court.”

“(The country’s) divisions are reflected, as well, in
expectations of who’ll win. Ninety-one percent of Obama supporters
expect the president to win re-election; among Romney supporters, fewer,
but still 71 percent, expect their candidate to prevail. That means
that whatever the outcome Tuesday, many in this country will have not
only their preferences but their expectations dashed – for whomever will
govern, not an easy place to start.”

Former U.S. Comptroller David Walker, a professed Romney supporter, warns that it’s not quite over.

“It may be a split between the popular vote and the electoral vote.
The second time in 12 years which will increase the call for electoral
reform,” Walker wrote in an email. “After $6 billion plus of spending a
status quo result for control of the WH, Senate and House. That does not
bode well for real progress.”

“President Obama needs to employ a unity approach to governing, including in connection with his second term cabinet.”

Just prior to this announcement, ABC’s Devin Dwyer reports from the Obama HQ:

Vernita Merton of Wheaton began sobbing when the projections came on
screen. She said she’s “very grateful that the American people have
recognized that the best man is going to win the White House. “…. I’m
speechless. I’m proud. I’m happy. So proud of America that we’d do this
and re-elect a man for his character and not look at the color of his
skin.”

Vicki Lindstrom of Lake Forrest, an architect who brought her 8 year
old son tonight, says she has been “praying” for this day, “trying to
trust the universe” that Obama would win.

She hopes Obama will adopt the “Clinton way” in a second term – to be
more “social”… “I’d like to see him get a little more passionate about
it” she said

Phillip Tarver of Chicago has been an Obama community organizer since
October 2011. “I’m so proud of the turnout… a lot of intense
campaigning by the grassroots… four months ago it just wasn’t happening…
I wanna say the debates turned that around, but it wasn’t until Biden
took the stage that things took off…”

11:21 p.m. – Silence in Romney HQ

ABC News’ Emily Friedman reports from Romney headquarters:

“Fox news is playing on the tvs here – and when they air their results on Ohio- you can hear a pin drop in here.”

World News’ David Muir adds -

“Fox anchors just said this was the whole ballgame. Room stunned.
Theyre watching images of cheers at obama hq in big screens. Painful to
watch the room watch fox.”

11:20 p.m. – Kaine Projected to Beat Allen, Obama Wins in Oregon

ABC News projects Obama will win Oregon and Iowa, and Democrat from
Virginia Tim Kaine will beat Republican opponent George Allen for a seat
in the U.S. Senate.

ABC News projects Obama will win Hawaii, Washington, California and
all four electoral seats in Maine; Romney will win Arizona and Idaho.

10:49 p.m. – The Final Farewell for Mourdock

Perhaps one of the hardest parts of running for office is giving a
gracious concession speech. Tonight Republican Senate candidate from
Indiana Richard Mourdock hit his out of the park.

Here’s an excerpt:

“As I told a reporter earlier today, he asked what would
be the overwhelming memory of this experience regardless of what’d
happen, win or lose, and I told him that without question the thing that
has given me the most satisfaction and indeed the most inspiration is
having spoken to so many Hoosiers over the last six months that I talked
to for only a moment and I hear a different accent in their voice. They
are not the people who were born*tearing up* as most of us were, in the
United States of America, they were born in other places around the
world, and they came to this country, and they expressed their love of
country in a way that exceeds what most of us do who are natural born
Americans, and what I kept hearing in their voices over the last few
weeks and months has been their concern that this country might in fact
be slipping back into the kind of government and governing that they
worked so hard to leave.”

When it comes to Florida, I am seeing real signs of problems for Mitt
Romney. Even though it’s tied right now statewide, when we look at the
all-important county of Hillsborough (Tampa) some interesting things
emerge: This is a county that George W. Bush carried by seven points in
2004. Right now Romney is trailing Barack Obama 46 to 53 . Romney is
losing in Hillsborough County.

So why is the race still tied in Florida? If you take a look at
Miami-Dade county, this is a huge Obama county. This is one that he won
by 16 points last time and only 40 percent of precincts have reported.
As those votes come in, that is going to add dramatically to Obama’s
vote total.

Paul Ryan is not with Mitt Romney. He’s still at his hotel with his
family. They had pasta and Caesar salad for dinner. Below is the very
long list of family that Paul Ryan is currently with, per the Ryan
campaign.

“If you drill down a little bit on this, Scott Brown in our exit poll
had a 59 percent approval rating in Massachusetts, that is usually a
slam dunk for winning re-election,” Karl said. “Incredibly popular, here
was the problem: Obama’s going to win that state huge, and he lost
Obama voters 86 to 14 for Elizabeth Warren.”

Karl added, “One other important point about this: Elizabeth Warren
now comes into the U.S. Senate as one of the most high profile Democrats
in the nation and also one of the most liberal members of the U.S.
Senate. We’ve lost a moderate, gained somebody on the left.”

10:02 p.m. – Most Tweets – EVER

Twitter reports that they hit 20-million election-related tweets just
after 10 p.m., making Election Day the most tweeted event in U.S.
political history.

10 p.m. – ABC Calls Senate in Massachusetts, President in Montana and Utah

Supporters have over the past hour been pouring into the space here — a cavernous cement-floored convention hall.

Several thousand by now — cheering and whooping as positive returns come in.

In the space….Two facing sets of bleachers create a more intimate
stadium-style corral in front of an elevated stage and catwalk jutting
out into the crowd.

The backdrop is scarlet red drapery with video panels on left and
right showing alternately images of Obama/Biden and live TV network
coverage of returns. The presidential blue goose podium is center stage –
w teleprompters – but no presidential seal hanging as of yet.

Am told between 13,000 and 20,000 expected.

On the overhead screens — the campaign is cycling through some of
it’s “greatest hits” of the hundreds web videos it has produced to
energize and inspire supporters. Very idealistic stuff w Potus rhetoric
and new-agey, upbeat tunes.

The campaign soundtrack (No Doubt, now) is playing in between videos.

At one point Al Green comes on the speakers — “I..’M… Soo in loove
with you….” — and the crowd of a few thousand sings along in unison.
Recall, this is the song POTUS famously sang at that fundraiser at the
Apollo Theater in NY late last year — a performance that also later
became a campaign ringtone

Also noteworthy here — dozens of Obama campaign advance staffers,
event planners, media handlers from the states — mostly young
20-somethings just out of college — have converged here for the final
night. A clear sense of nostalgia, idealism and giddy excitement among
them. For many, this is their graduation or reunion of sorts as Obama’s
foot soldiers.

9:52 p.m. – Latest Projections

ABC News projects Obama will win in Minnesota, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire.

The exit polls show Democratic party
identification up 7 percentage points over Republicans, which according to the
Romney camp, is nearly “identical to the historic Democratic turnout of 2008.
We strongly believe that when votes are actually counted it’s going to be a
much tighter race.”

In key Cuyahoga County –
traditionally a Democratic stronghold – the Romney campaign says their data
shows “some evidence in strong Democratic precincts that turnout is down, and
that in good GOP precincts turnout is up and outperforming the county overall
turnout number. Obviously we aren’t going to win Cuyahoga County but this is
about getting our votes out of there, and seeing if they get theirs.”

In 2008, President Obama won Cuyahoga
by nearly 40 percentage points and he is performing strongly again there
tonight in the early tallies.

8:34 p.m. – Independents Lean Romney

ABC News’ Matt Negrin reports on exit polling:

“Independents” are siding with Mitt Romney at the polls in the key
states of Virginia and Ohio today, according to preliminary exit polls.

Shortly before 8 p.m., states that finished voting provided no
suprises, but all eyes were on the crucial battleground states of Ohio
and Virginia.

Preliminary exit poll results show that in Ohio, Romney leads Obama
by 10 points among independents — a big number especially considering
that in 2008 Obama had an 8-point lead over John McCain in Ohio among
the same nonaligned voters.

Independents, however, are showing up in fewer numbers than they did four years ago.

Florida is one of the key states to watch when it comes to the early
vote and here you see an advantage for President Obama by seven points.

That is significantly less than he had last time around, but here’s a
very important point as we watch the raw vote come in from a lot of
these states with big early vote populations, especially Florida and
Ohio: Those votes get counted first, and those votes are going to favor
President Obama. He simply does much better among early voters.

We went back to 2008 and looked at the returns in Ohio as they were
coming in. Around 8:30 p.m. four years ago, then-Senator Obama had a
33-point lead over John McCain in the state of Ohio in the raw vote. He
did not win Ohio by 33 points. He won by 5 points. So be careful as
you’re watching those early raw returns, that include primarily early
votes.

8:15 p.m. – Honesty Time on ABC’s Live Stream

While talking political ads with Dan Harris, Amy Walter and Olivier
Knox on ABC/Yahoo’s Election Night live show, Bill Burton of Democratic
Super PAC Priorities USA made a bold assertion:

“Let’s be honest, I would say 100% of our ads were negative,” Burton said

Watch the ABC News/YahooNews streaming #Election2012 show on mobile, iPad and at http://abcn.ws/live.

8:06 p.m. – Virginia Vote Trickles In

When the polls closed at 7 p.m., there were still people in line in
Virginia that were looking at a one or two hour wait to vote, according
to the state’s Board of Elections. No one went to court asking for a
late poll closing, but under Virginia state law, voters in line by the 7
p.m. poll close can still vote with a normal ballot.

Board of Election officials point to big voter turnout for the three-hour plus long lines.

-Partisans of all stripes are turning out in similar numbers as in
’08, and Obama and Romney are getting 95 percent or more of the vote
from their respective parties. It’s the independents who’ve changed:
They voted for Obama over McCain by 20 percentage points in 2008; in
preliminary exit poll results today, independents split evenly between
Romney and Obama, 48 vs. 47 percent.

-Obama leads among women by 11 points, 55-44 percent in preliminary
results. That’s down from a 23 percent advantage for Obama among NH
women in ’08.

-Turnout among liberals matches its record level, 26 percent from
’08, but while Obama won them easily by 20 points then, his lead among
them is a narrower 10 points, 54-44 percent, in preliminary results
today.

-Among voters looking chiefly for a candidate who shares their
values, Obama holds an 11-point advantage, 53-42 percent. Among those
looking for someone with “a vision for the future,” the numbers are
essentially reversed – 56-42 percent in Romney’s favor.

Florida

- Obama seems to be holding his 2008 strength among Hispanics – a key
Florida voting group. Preliminary exit polls suggest that about one in
six Florida voters are Latino (16 percent), similar to 2008, and they
are voting for Obama over Romney by comparable margins to 2008 (60-38
percent). Non-Cuban Latinos in Florida are going for Obama by better
than two to one, even as Romney has a narrow lead among Cuban-Americans.

- Senior voters are showing up in force at the Florida polls, with
those aged 65 and up making up a quarter of the electorate and breaking
strongly for Romney (59-49 percent). Obama lost this group in 2008,
though by a smaller margin. As recently as the Clinton presidency
Florida seniors were with the Democrats.

- Florida voters overall divide on who would better handle Medicare;
49 percent say Obama, 47 percent Romney. But Florida seniors are more
likely to put their trust in Romney when it comes to their key health
program: 56 percent say Romney would do a better job handling Medicare,
38 percent Obama.

- Republican turnout looks similar to 2008, a year which marked a low
for the GOP in recent elections, and this could be a problem for
Romney. But on the flip side, the former Massachusetts governor is
pulling even among independents, a group Obama won by single digits last
time.

- Preliminary exit poll suggests the two candidates are fighting to
win the key Tampa Bay area, site of this year’s GOP convention.
Preliminary exit poll results shows the area at 52 percent for Romney
and 48 percent for Obama.

7:56 p.m. – Historic Early Voting

ABC’s Gregory Simmons reports:

The early vote this cycle was huge and historic: One out of every
three voters cast their ballots before polling places opened this
morning. We estimate 46 million people voted early – that is 36 percent
of the electorate.

In our very latest ABC News/Washington Post poll, we have an estimate
of how those early voters voted with President Obama winning 52 – 45.
While a seven point spread may sound like a big deal, keep in mind that
four years ago, Obama won the early vote by 18 percent. In other words,
Obama would have lost if it the election was decided solely by those
who voted on election day. The president has a much smaller lead among
the early vote going in, going into this election, which suggests at
least a much closer race.

7:42 p.m. – Lots ‘O Tweets

ABC’s Greg Croft reports tweets around the phrase #Election2012 just surpassed 11 million for the day.

President Obama is heading to his home in Hyde Park to have dinner with his family right now.

Quitting time comes just after Obama wrapped up his final satellite interviews from the Fairmont Hotel.

Stations from Cleveland, Denver, Madison, Cincinnati and Milwaukee got a word from the Democratic candidate today.

An Obama campaign aide said the general mood tonight is a ”Hurry up and wait feeling.”

7:06 p.m. – More from Virginia Exit Polls

ABC Pollster Gary Langer has more preliminary results from the Virginia exit polls:

-Preliminary exit polls suggest Obama is running strong in Virginia’s
inner suburbs, those closest to Washington, D.C. But in the key outer
suburbs, Romney seems to have a small edge (52 percent to Obama’s 46
percent). Obama depended on the exurbs in 2008.

-Democrats seem to be outnumbering Republicans at the polls in
Virginia, according to early exit polls, as was true in 2008. Turnout
among liberal voters also seems strong, at 23 percent. At the same time,
Romney is winning Independents in preliminary exit poll results (59-38
percent). In 2008, Obama held McCain to a draw among Independents.

-A gender gap is apparent in the Virginia presidential race;
preliminary exit poll results suggest Romney may reclaim the traditional
GOP advantage among men in the state, a group Obama won narrowly in
2008. Still, Romney’s lead among men is in the single digits (53- 45
percent), not the double digits of the Bush years.

-Preliminary exit polls suggest about seven in 10 of today’s Virginia
voters are white, and two in 10 black – a turnout similar to 2008,
belying predictions that the state’s electorate might have a higher
share of white voters this year.

-Virginia has a large military presence, and today about one in six
voters (16 percent) report they are in the military or have served at
some time. Preliminary exit polls suggest military voters are breaking
for Romney, 55-44 percent.

-Indianans say that If Senator Lugar were in the race today they’d be
voting for him over the Democratic challenger Joe Donnelly by 45-39
percent (preliminary results). However he isn’t the Republican candidate
– it’s Tea Party darling Richard Mourdock.

-Many fewer Indianans say they support the Tea Party now than said
the same in 2010 (27 percent in 2012 vs. 46 percent in 2010). It’s 22
percent nationally. (Preliminary.)

-To watch for: Women voters, particularly those who are unmarried, and Senator Lugar voters who defect to Joe Donnelly.

Virginia

-Regardless of their vote choice, more Virginia voters say they have a
favorable view of Democrat Senate candidate Tim Kaine than Republican
candidate George Allen (55% fav for Kaine, 47% fav for Allen). The gap
grows among women voters.

Just an hour or two before polls began closing, Republican vice
presidential candidate Paul Ryan made a quick stop at a campaign office
in Richmond, Va.

“I don’t want to take too much of your time because we got a lot of
work to do, right?” Ryan said, before thanking the crowd. “We got to run
for the tape, we got to leave it all on the field. And what we are
doing today is, we are actually getting real change.”

Making the rounds on Twitter and Facebook are two very happy costumed
characters. Yes, the first is Big Bird or, well, a journalist from the
Austin American Statesman dressed up in a Big Bird suit. John Kelso, a
columnist at the paper, decided to show up at his local polling center
in a full-on Big Bird suit, and like a good citizen he even checked to
make sure it was legal.

For those unsure why Big Bird is significant during this election —
Mitt Romney, during the Oct. 3 presidential debate, declared that while
he liked Big Bird, he might end federal funding for PBS. The social
media reaction ensured.

ABC News’ Michael Falcone reports the Romney team is readying for one.

“How seriously is the Romney campaign taking the possibility of a post-Election Day recount?

Romney campaign officials have instructed members of their staff
from the political and advance teams as well as other departments to
‘pack a bag’ and bring it with them to tonight’s election night event at
the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center.

Each notified staffer would be part of a “go-team” to be dispatched
to one of several states where a close result might lead to a recount.
(Inside the campaign, Ohio is the state that has loomed largest in
discussions.)

Campaign planes are said to be on stand-by to ferry staff to their as yet unknown destination if needed.”

“You’re a lucky man,” Biden said. “We both got something in common, we both married up.”

This reporting comes via ABC’s Arlette Saenz, and if you look closely
in the photo above, you can see Arlette in the right corner, perched
atop a table to get her shot of the vice president.3:31 p.m. – Biden Arrives in Chicago

Per Arlette Saenz, Biden has arrived at the Fairmont Hotel in
downtown Chicago. He started the day in Delaware, and now he’s in the
president’s hometown for the rest of Election Night. He’ll do a few
radio interviews before the day is out.

Mitt Romney is hoping for a large turnout at the polls, and if the
crowd greeting his flight today is any indication, he might just get it.

This afternoon his bodyman, Garrett Jackson, tweeted two photos of
people lining up around a parking garage to see the Republican candidate
arrive for a last minute campaign stop in the Keystone State.

1:45 p.m. – Chris Christie’s Neutral Voting Tweet

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has gotten national attention for his
praise of President Obama in the past week. He and Obama showcased a budding bromance
last Wednesday, touring damage from Superstorm Sandy together. Putting
partisan politics aside, Christie went so far as to say the people of
New Jersey would not want him thinking about how the nation is going to
vote.

With all that baggage, Christie’s Election Day tweet is markedly neutral: @GovChristie
Today is a national election. Everyone should find some time today and go vote. New Jersey voices should be heard. njelections.org

1:36 p.m. – Obama Makes a Call

Meanwhile, President Obama joined campaign volunteers in his hometown to make calls this afternoon.

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POTUS makes stop at Chicago field office to make calls on election day (courtesy of @jrpsaki)

1:15 p.m. – Romney, Ryan Thank Volunteers in Ohio

Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan have arrived at the Richmond Heights Victory Center, according to ABC’s Emily Friedman.

Romney Press Secretary Rick Gorka says the team will be thanking volunteers in the Hilltop Plaza shopping center this afternoon.

Former Comptroller General David Walker shared his thoughts on the
election with ABC News this afternoon. Read on to see what the Romney supporter and author of “Comeback America” had to say:

“Only God knows who will win tonight but, based on my recent almost
10,000 national bus tour, I think the polls have not adequately
considered the change in the voting population, especially in swing
states, and the difference in enthusiasm between the base of both major
parties. Based on these factors, I expect that Romney will win in a
close race,” Walker wrote. “We should know the Senate and House control
results tonight nut [sic] may not know the result of the electoral
college vote tonight. It could be that close.”

“That would be truly unfortunate. The people and the markets want closure and certainty,” Walker wrote in an email.

He predicted Hurricane Sandy would lead to lower turnout in the New York City area.

“Since those are blue states and that will affect the popular vote total but not the electoral outcome,” Walker wrote.

He did not expect the control of the House and Senate to change.

“The Presidential winner will need to demonstrate extraordinary
leadership in order to get things done in the face of a split Congress
and nation,” Walker wrote. “The winner should pursue a ‘unity cabinet’
approach with D’s, R’s and I’s. The winner should also call for
Congress to come back to D.C. and not take a break beyond those average
Americans get (e.g., weekends and major holidays) until they have dealt
with the fiscal cliff. The winner should also call for the new Congress
to do the same in 2013 until a fiscal ‘Grand Bargain’ has been achieved.
”

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ABC’s Sheila Marikar reports:

Since celebrity cooks are now regulars at the White House — President Obama’s state dinners have been helmed by the likes of Rick Bayless and Marcus Samuelsson –
ABCNews.com reached out to some of New York’s famous chefs to find out
what they’d make at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, given the opportunity and
no restrictions. Highlights include ricotta gnocchi, salted-caramel ice
cream and a custom-made Bourbon.

The president, who voted early last month, will remain in his home
state of Illinois today, doing some satellite television interviews and
playing a game of basketball — an Election Day tradition that stems from
superstition.

The fate of the election will rest on the outcomes in a few
hard-fought swing states — Florida, Virginia, New Hampshire, Wisconsin,
Pennsylvania and, most crucially, Ohio.

Victory or defeat may very well come down to Ohio, a battleground
whose 18 electoral votes may be as critical this year as Florida was in
2000. Both candidates know it and have spent more time there than
anywhere else.

Ohio, or possibly Wisconsin, where Romney has trailed for months,
create “a very narrow path to Electoral College victory,” said Matthew
Dowd, a Republican strategist and ABC News consultant.

The Romney campaign and Republicans have been touting their intensive
ground-game efforts throughout the election cycle, and today is no
different. Voter contact numbers from each party are unverifiable – and
depend, in part, on the definition of what a “contact” is. With that
caveat in mind, here’s a final tally from the Republican National
Committee noting how many voters they have contacted nationally, and in
the key battleground states.

“Our volunteers have made 62,200,896 voter contacts this cycle,
including knocking on the doors of over 14 million doors,” according to
an RNC official.

And by the time polls close in the states tonight, the GOP says they
will have contacted 14. 5 million voters in Florida, 2.6 million in
Iowa, 3.4 million in Colorado, 8.6 million in Ohio, 2.9 million in
Nevada, 1.6 million in New Hampshire, 6.8 million in Virginia, 4.2
million in Wisconsin and 6.4 million in Pennsylvania.

12:37 p.m. – House Races to Watch

ABC News’ John Parkinson reports:

There are 435 seats in the House of Representatives, but most
districts are not competitive, and voters will return incumbents. Here
is a look at 25 of the top match-ups worth watching in the House of Representatives today.

Most are highly competitive and expensive races, while others are
notable simply for the political characters on the ticket, including a
migrant worker-turned-astronaut and an Iraq War veteran who has lost two
limbs. Both are challenging GOP freshmen and stand a chance of
winning. An African-American woman and an openly gay candidate have
also mounted competitive challenges to knock off long-time Democratic
incumbents.

To regain majority control, Democrats need to have a net gain of 25
seats to overcome the Republicans’ 50 seat majority. Democrats are also
defending a handful of districts where incumbents have retired, leaving
the majority that much more difficult to attain. The verdict will be
decided by the voters, but with Mitt Romney neck-and-neck with President
Obama, the general consensus is that House Speaker John Boehner and his
Republican colleagues are certain to hold onto the majority in the
lower chamber.

It’s the question on everyone’s mind today: Who will win the
presidential election? ABC News has gone through myriad possible factors
to try to predict the winner. Which presidential candidate is more
popular with coffee drinkers? Who won the cookie contest? Might height
make might?

At one point, fellow Green Party candidate Roseanne Barr was thought to be
Stein’s running mate, but Stein dispelled
that rumor when she announced the virtually-unknown Cheri Honkala
would be her veep.

At opposite ends of the country, two House candidates, with vastly different
agendas, are running under names they made up themselves.

Voters in South Florida’s 25th District will see an unfamiliar option on
congressional ballots today: 32-year-old first-time candidate VoteForEddie.Com. Voters in
Idaho’s 1st District, meanwhile, will see a familiar choice: 72-year-old
strawberry farmer “Pro-Life,” who is making his fourth consecutive bid for
major office.

They are the only two candidates running for federal office under such
irregular names, according to the Associated Press list of nationwide
candidates. They’ve undergone the legal name-changing ordeal, they say, with
very different goals in mind.

Democrats are bullish on their chances to keep control of the U.S. Senate.
But there are a bunch of close races around the country. ABC’s Sunlen Miller
runs down the most important ones. There are important symbolic battles in
Virginia and Massachusetts, and two races – Indiana and Missouri – where
Republican candidates faltered after controversial comments about abortion.

When polls open Tuesday morning, a small army of thousands of lawyers
affiliated with both campaigns and state party efforts will be in place in key
swing states where legal action can make a difference in the outcome of the
election.

In large part, the Democrats are worried about what they say are efforts to
suppress the vote. Republicans say they fear instances of voter fraud.

Both sides will be concentrating on issues such as voter registration and
eligibility, poll watcher activity, ballot counting, polling hours and machine
malfunctioning.

At the national level, teams of lawyers will be wired in to nationwide
databases, as Republican attorneys use a smartphone app to communicate
problems and Democrats relay information to a database in Chicago, according to
the Associated Press.

Obama officials, speaking on background, say they have recruited thousands
of attorney volunteers to help recruit, train, educate and observe at polling
locations across the country. They say they are not only tasked with
putting legal teams in place but also having a data base of experts on
voting systems, registration data bases, ballot design, student voting and provisional
ballots.

ABC’s Arlette Saenz watched Joe Biden cast his vote for president early this
morning in Delaware. While this is undoubtedly President Obama’s last run for
office, Biden could conceivably make another go at the top job in 2016.

When reporters asked Biden, who was chummy with other voters, if this was
his last time voting for himself, his answer was interesting.

“No, I don’t think so,” Biden said outside Alexis I. duPont High School in
Wilmington, Del. where he voted with his wife, Jill Biden, son Beau, daughter-in-law
Hallie and granddaughter Natalie.

Should he decide to run in 2016, Biden, who ran for president in 1988 and
2008, would be 73 years old with nearly 44 years of politicking under his belt,
and he could find himself in a 2016 matchup with another politician currently
serving in President Obama’s administration — Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton. More
from Arlette here.

The day has come, and for those who didn’t vote early or absentee, it’s time
to head into the voting booth. Wondering what time the polls open and close in
your state? ABC News brings you information on poll hours in
each state.

ABC News was out with all of the candidates on the final night of
campaigning.

Obama Returns to Iowa

President Obama shed a tear while addressing supporters in Des Moines.

ABC’s Mary Bruce wrote: President Obama ended his presidential campaign
Monday night with an emotional appeal to voters in the state that started it
all, asking Iowans to help him finish what he started four years ago.

“We have made real progress over these last four years,” the president told
an estimated crowd of 20,000 standing outside in the bitter cold. “But Iowa, we
are here tonight because we have more work to do. We are not done yet on this
journey. We have more road to travel.”

Just steps away from the campaign office set up for his improbable victory
in the 2008 Iowa caucuses, a nostalgic Obama told Iowans they taught him “to
bet on hope.”

Romney’s campaign was launched in Stratham, New Hampshire, in June 2011, and
Romney has returned more than 23 times this year alone. He essentially camped
out in the state in the days and weeks prior to the January primary.
Romney, who also owns a home in New Hampshire, spent weeks in the state over
the summer too.

“Together we must lead America to a better place,” Romney said, his voice
growing hoarse at times, the rally his fifth of the day.

Devin Dwyer reports that both candidates were a not quite as emotional when
they appeared in separate taped segments on “Monday Night Football.”

While the New Orleans Saints and Philadelphia Eagles paused for halftime,
and the candidates themselves were still on the road holding final swing state
rallies, both men appeared in pre-taped interviews with host Chris Berman
during the network’s half-time show.

Comparing politics to sports, Berman asked Obama how he planned to “repeat”
– one of the most difficult feats for a “championship” team.

“It has to do with not getting distracted by your own hype or the
critics,” Obama said. “It’s interesting, political reporters are a lot like
sports reporters. And, you lose a game, and you’re a bum. You win a game,
you’re a God.

Berman asked Romney about the most valuable lesson he could apply in the
Oval Office he learned from shepherding the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Winter
Games. He cited a greater appreciation of the human spirit.

“I think most people watch the Olympics not just because of the interest in
the sport itself. I mean how many people were avid fans of women’s bobsled for
instance before the Olympics? But they watch the bobsled event because they get
to see the character of human beings if you will … the crucible of sport,” he
said.

The small hamlet of Dixville Notch, New Hampshire, distinguishes itself
every primary and general election by voting right at midnight.

This year 10 voters showed up and they split evenly – five votes apiece
– for President Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney.

Obama won the Dixville Notch vote in 2008. But in elections before that, the
town had stuck to more conservative candidates, twice selecting a Republican
instead of Bill Clinton.

Dixville Notch and its 10 voters may be symbolic, but they’re not a
bellwether for the state. Obama won in Dixville Notch in 2008, but that was the
first time a majority of the town went for a Dem in 40 years.